Skirt and waist supporting device



No. 625,334. Patented May 23, I899. F. D. G. J. E. HIJWE.-

SKIRT AND WAIST SUPPORTING DEVICE.

(Application filed my 5, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 625,334. Patented May 23, I899. F. D. G. J. E. HOWE.

SKIRT AND WAIST SUPPORTING DEVICE.

(Application filed May 5, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLORENCE DURYEE HOWE AND JOHN EDWARD HOWE, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES AND J. REED LITTELL, OF SAME PLACE.

SKIRT AND WAIST SUPPORTING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,334, dated May 23,1899.

Application filed May 5, 1897. Serial No. 635,164. (No model.)

To all whont it flea/y concern:

Be it known that we, FLORENCE DUEYEE HOWE and JOHN EDWARD HOWE, citizensof the United States, residing at New York, in

the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Skirt and Waist Supporting Devices; and we dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip-IO tion of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of supporting devices which embodya safety-pin I 5 adapted to be held in connection with a belt andarranged to secure and support the skirt in proper relation to the beltand waist-line.

Ordinarily in the wearing of shirt-waists and belts in feminine apparelconsiderable inconvenience and disadvantage are occasioned by reason ofthe skirt sagging below the belt and the lower edge of the shirt-waistdrawing up above the belt. Various securing and supporting devices havebeen devised for re- 2 5 taining the skirt in connection with or properrelation to the belt; but generally these de-- vices are designed onlyfor the supporting of the skirt, leaving the shirt-waist disconnectedand free to slip up from normal position. Such devices have also notbeen usually adapted for adjustment with relation to different sizes orwidths of belts, so that unless employed in connection with a fixed orstandard width of belt they are liable to be generally 3 5 ineifectivein the purpose for which they are designed and are apt to exposeportions of the device or the waistband of the garment below the belt.Previous supporting devices of this class have also been generallydesigned for connection with hooks and buttons secured upon thegarments, which construction and arrangement are disadvantageous andinconvenient in practical use.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple andimprovedsupporting device of the character above set forth which will be adaptedfor effective adjustment, so that it can be used in connection witheither wide or narrow belts without exposing parts of the device orwaistband of the garments, which will conjointly hold both the skirt andshirt-waist in secure and proper relative position and serve to at alltimes efiectively conceal the waistbands in rear of either a narrow orwide belt, which will obviate the employment of hooks or buttons uponthe garments, and which will, furthermore, possess advantages in pointof convenience, adaptability, inexpensiveness, ease of adjustment andoperation, adjustability, effectiveness, and general efficiency.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view; on an enlarged scale,showing our improved supporting device in connection with a skirt andshirt-waist and a wide belt, parts of the belt being broken away to showthe back portion of the device. Fig.2 is a perspective view, on anenlarged scale, showing the back portion of the supporting device andillustrating the position and adjustment of the same in relation to anarrow belt. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View of thesupporting device, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the adjustment ofthe supporting-pin with respect to variations in the width or size ofthe belt. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view, on anapproximately normal scale, showing the supporting device in connectionwith the skirt and shirt-waist and illustrating its adjustment withrelation to a wide belt. Fig. 5 is a sectional View corre- 8o spondingto Fig. 4: and illustrating the adj ust ment of the supporting devicewith respect to a narrow belt. Fig. 6 is adetailhorizontal sectionalview taken on theline 6 6,Fig.3, the supporting-pin bein gin the uppersocket in the po sition used for narrow belts. Fig. 7 is a detailhorizontal sectional view taken on the line 7 7, Fig. 3, thesupporting-pin being in the lower socket in the position used for widebelts. Fig. 8 is a rear elevation, on an approximately normal scale,illustratinga modification in the construction of the back plate.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same lettersof reference.

Referring to the drawings, A designates 5 the body of the device,whichis approximately U shape, comprising a front plate a and a back plate a,said plates being approximately parallel and connected at their top endsby the bridge or cross piece (1 The front and back plates may beintegrally formed of a single piece of metal, or the front'plate may beformed in a separate piece, secured by riveting or in any other suitablemanner to the back plate, as desired.

In practice the body A is hooked 'over the top edge of the belt B, asshown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, so that the top bridge or cross piecerests or hangs upon the top edge of the belt, with the front or faceplate a projecting downwardly over the outer face of the belt, while theback plate a extends downwardly against the inner face of the belt.

The front plate a may be ornamented, as shown at 0, Fig. 1, with anysuitable design or in any desired manner, or it may be arranged tocarrya portrait in miniature or be enameled in colors.

Connected with the inner or back plate a is a pin C,which may be of anyordinary safetypin construction, embodying a top cross bar or arm 0 andadapted to have its free springarm 0 inserted through both the top edgeor waistband s of the skirt S and through the lower edge or waistband sof the shirt-waist S, so that the pin serves to retain and hold inproper relative position, in connection with the belt, both the skirtand shirt-waist.

The securing-pin is connected with and supported by the inner or backportion of the body A and is vertically adjustable with relationthereto. The pin is also, preferably, pivotally mounted with relation tothe back plate of the device. By means of this vertical adjustment ofthe securing-pin our improved device is adapted for effective andconvenient use upon both broad and narrow belts. For instance, when usedin connection with a broad belt, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of thedrawings, the pin will be placed at its lowest point of adjustment withrelation to the back plate a, in which position the width or breadth ofthe belt will serve to entirely conceal the pin and the adjoiningwaistbands or edges of the skirt and shirtwaist and at the same time theskirt will hang or be supported in its proper relative position withrespect to the waist-line; but when a narrow belt is used if the pinwere in fixed adjustment with relation to the device the waistband ofthe skirt would show below the belt or the skirt would hang too low.Therefore by means of our improved construction and arrangement,embodying the vertically-adj ustable relation between the securing-pinand the supporting or suspending device, when a narrow belt is used thepin is adjusted to its upper or higher position with relation to thesupporting device, in which position it will serve to retain theWaist-bands or adjoining edges of both the skirt and shirtwaist in fullconcealment back of the belt and at the same time permit of the properrelative hanging of the skirt with relation to the waistline. Incarrying out this vertically-adjustable relation between thesecuring-pin and the supporting device we prefer to provide the backplate a with two transverse horizontal sockets, one above the other, thelower socket being preferably at the bottom edge of the back plate andthe upper socket some distance below the top of the supporting device,these sockets being adapted to hold and retain the top cross bar or arm0 of the pin. The sockets may be formed by plates or arms a a arrangedupon the rear face of the back plate at. These plates or arms may be anintegral part of the back plate a, as shown in the drawings, beingformed by extensions of saidback plate bent upwardly from the lower endthereof and with relation to the rear face of said back plate and havingtheir top ends secured to the latter by riveting, as shown at r, or inany other suitable manner. The

socket-plate may extend entirely across the back plate a, but ispreferably formed of two arms or plates, as herein shown, arranged ateach side the back plate. The socketplates a a extend in approximatelyparallel position with relation to the back plate a and are bent to formthe sockets for the top arm 0 of the pin. Thus at their bottom ends, atthe point of connection with the bottom edge of the back plate a, thesocket plates or arms are bent in curved form to form a transverse eyeor loop a which provides the lower or bottom socket. In like manner in apoint near their upper secured ends the socket plates or arms are bentoutwardly in curved form to form a transverse projecting eye or loop awhich provides the upper or top socket. The eye or loop bends formingthe sockets are preferably of approximately circular contour to bestconform to and to receive and retain the cylindrical fixed rod or arm 0of the securing-pin.

The socket plates or arms are preferably constructed of spring metal, sothat the rod or arm of the pin will spring into its seat in the socketand be securely retained therein. In carrying out this function andconstruction the lower bend, forming the lowersocket a, may be indentedor projected inwardly at the top of the curve or circle, as shown at i,to form a spring mouth or opening or entrance between the socket-plateand back plate a at the top of the bottom socket. The bend or curvatureforming the top socket projects rearwardly from the socket plate or arm,and the initial outward and downward curve in the formation of thecircular socket forms an indenture or projection '5, providing a springICC mouth or entrance at the inner end of the top ter, by which theoperation of securing the skirt and shirt-waist to the pin isfacilitated and rendered more convenient.

Our improved supporting device may be constructed of silver or otherprecious metal, or the ornamented front plate a may be constructed ofsuch metal, (when the front plate and back plate are formed in separatepieces,) and the rear concealed portion of the device may be formed ofany suitable sheet metal, or the entire supporting device may be formedof sheet metal of any suitable character or quality, as desired.

In Fig. 8 we have illustrated a modified construction in which the backplate a is of skeleton form, cut away, as shown at WV, to conform to thesize and shape of the socket plates or arms (L The back plate ct maybeof any suitable or adapted skeleton form, or it may be of solidconstruction as shown in the other figures of the drawings.

\Ve do not desire to be understood as limiting ourselves to the preciseform and details of construction as herein shown and described, asvarious manifest modifications in detail features of construction andarrangement may be employed without departing from the spirit and scopeof our invention. W'e therefore reserve the right to all such variationand modification in structure and arrangement as falls within the spiritand scope of our invention and the terms of the following claims.

Having thus described our invention, We claim and desire to secure byLetters Patcut- 1. A skirt and waist supporting device, comprising abody portion or support adapted to be suspended in normal fixed relativeposition from the top edge of a belt and provided with a plurality ofsockets in vertical series and in fixed relation to said support, and asecuring-pin carried in projecting position directly upon said supportand having a movable connection therewith into and from said pluralityof sockets, whereby the support may be used upon different Widths ofbelts and the pin adjustably seated in the different sockets,substantially as set forth.

2. A skirt and waist supporting device, comprising a body portion orsupport adapted to be suspended in normal fixed relative position fromthe top edge of a belt and consisting of a hook-shaped top portion and aback plate depending therefrom and supplementary rear members extendingupwardly in approximately parallel relation to the back plate, saidsupplementary members being bent transversely and on different planes toprovide the plurality of sockets in vertical series, and a securing-pinslidably mounted upon and carried by said support between the back plateand said outer socket members and adjustable vertically between saidmembers into and from the difierent sockets, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. A skirt and waist supporting device, comprising a back plate and rearmembers extending in approximately parallel relation to said back plateand separated therefrom by an intervening space extending vertically andlongitudinally between sockets arranged.

on different horizontal planes, and a secur ing-pin having a barslidably retained and operating in the space between the back plate andrear members and adjustable vertically into and from said differentsockets, substantially as set'forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

FLORENCE DURYEE HOWE. JOHN EDWARD HOWVE. \Vitnesses:

J. REED LITTELL, WOODVILLE FLEMMING.

